The Season 4 tournament winner clearly wants to erase the memory of his recent title fight with Pat Curran, which ended in a split call for the featherweight champ at this past month's Bellator 85 event. But Freire also remembers the long layoff that preceded his title shot and its negative effect on his performance.

"After my last victory in May of 2011, I underwent hand surgery and ultimately ended up waiting 20 months to face Pat Curran," Freire said. "Ours was a fierce fight. I pushed the pace for all five rounds despite being on the receiving end of some headbutts.

"I pressed the champion, and the result was a split decision. Since I was coming from a period of inactivity, I feel I can do better in a rematch if I could regain my fighting rhythm."